


only the beginning

by A_E_Meadows



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: (kind of), Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Grief/Mourning, Hurt Jaskier | Dandelion, Hurt/Comfort, Jaskier | Dandelion Whump, Pre-Slash, Shippy Gen, Spell of Living Death, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22202683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_E_Meadows/pseuds/A_E_Meadows
Summary: Jaskier is hit with a spell of living death.This allows him to see a side of Geralt he didn't know existed.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 51
Kudos: 1686





	only the beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [When You're Not Watching](https://archiveofourown.org/works/312213) by [ingberry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ingberry/pseuds/ingberry). 



> Hi again!  
> This work was inspired by a fic I read a long time ago in a different fandom.  
> I, in no way, claim this story idea as my own and have linked the work that inspired this one!  
> With that being said, please enjoy the story!

It felt like they had been walking forever. Or like Jaskier had been walking forever anyway.  
He eyed Geralt, who was a few metres up the path.  
"You know... if you let me ride with you I wouldn't keep slowing us down!"  
Receiving no answer he huffed to himself and settled on walking even slower in retaliation.  
It was approaching midday, the sun high in the sky. A bead of sweat rolled down Jaskier's forehead and he wiped it away with his sleeve.  
"Can't we at least stop for water somewhere?" Jaskier asked. "There must be a stream or something nearby."  
Geralt made a non-committal noise in reply and Jaskier shrugged, settling on keeping an eye out for one himself. Jaskier was used to this sort of silence from Geralt … the other man was just not used to having a companion. Especially not one like Jaskier.

They had only walked for another ten or so minutes when Geralt turned Roach off the main path, heading down a beaten track between the trees. Jaskier followed, relieved at the shade the leaves provided. What greeted him when he was through the trees was a stream, sparkling as it caught the light that came through the breaks in the branches above. Jaskier hooted with delight and turned to Geralt, who stubbornly refused to look his way. Jaskier grinned to himself at the behaviour of the other man and settled himself down by the stream, relieved to be off his feet. He cupped his hands and scooped up some water, splashing his face and washing away the sweat and grime of the day. He looked up and caught Geralt's incredulous look.  
"Oh, come on!" Jaskier exclaimed. "Might as well enjoy it while we're here."

He scooped up more water and flung it in the direction of the other man, watching in amusement as Geralt attempted to dodge it - resulting in a very un-scary, damp Witcher.  
Jaskier stifled his laughter and leant back against a tree. He felt a lot more comfortable now and he appreciated that Geralt stopped, even though it seemed that the Witcher didn't need the rest himself. Even in the stifling heat, with flies buzzing around his ears, the call of sleep tempted him.  
"Don't get too comfortable," said Geralt, cutting through the peace.  
Jaskier flapped his hand vaguely in acknowledgement.  
The quiet sounds of the forest were so calming. It wasn't often he got to relax like this with Geralt, although Jaskier could hear the other man pacing impatiently. He sighed and decided he should probably not take advantage of the break and reluctantly stood to re-fill some of the waterskins they were carrying.

He walked over to Roach, digging around in the saddlebag for the skins. It was only then that he noticed the constant birdsong of the forest had stopped.  
His heart clenched in fear, and he spun around to look at Geralt.  
The Witcher was alert, staring into the forest - eyes clearly locked on to a target. Jaskier turned in that direction too, but he was unable to see anything other than the trees.  
"Sorcerer," Geralt muttered taking a step forward, hand reaching for the hilt of his sword.

That was the wrong move apparently as a pulse of magic displaced the air around them and sent Jaskier flying backwards, almost colliding with Roach who reared up in surprise and bolted, leaving the two men behind.  
Jaskier hit the ground hard but luckily didn't feel any immediate injuries. He was about to leap back up, already thinking of a suitable one-liner to throw back at the sorcerer, when he realised he couldn't move.  
He couldn't move at all.

His eyes were fixed open, chest unmoving - as if his body was a statue.  
No...  
As if he were dead.  
He tried to suck in a breath at the panic that seized him but was unable to.  
Geralt.  
He heard Geralt calling his name.  
Jaskier tried with all his might to answer, but the spell was too powerful.  
He lay there, unable to do anything other than listen to the fight and stare straight up at the sky.

The sounds of fighting eventually stopped.  
Jaskier's heart seized with worry until he heard the familiar footsteps of the Witcher.  
"Jaskier, should I be surprised you decided to take a nap in the middle of a fight?"  
Jaskier wanted to laugh out loud with relief at the rare light-hearted tone.  
That relief soon faded when Geralt's footsteps faltered as they drew nearer. The heavy thud of a sword hitting the ground rustled the leaves near Jaskier's head.  
"No..."  
Jaskier's heart dropped.

/ / /

Geralt fell to his knees, face finally coming into Jaskier's view and oh how Jaskier wished the sorcerer had taken his sight too. Jaskier could only imagine how he looked with his unseeing eyes and still chest.  
Geralt reached out a shaking hand and placed it gently over Jaskier's heart but Jaskier already knew he would find no beat there.  
Geralt's hand turned to a fist, gripping Jaskier's shirt tightly.  
"Jaskier..."  
His voice was so quiet, so pained, that Jaskier wasn't sure if he had said anything at all.  
Geralt sat back now, face out of sight.  
Jaskier wished he could see him again, even though the sight of the other man hurt him terribly.  
The hand on his chest moved up to his neck, two fingers resting on his pulse point.  
It was hopeless. The spell had taken all signs of life.  
After a minute or so the hand snatched away so abruptly that it startled Jaskier. The Witcher stood unsteadily, in a way so unlike him, and stepped away. The bard tried to call out again, terrified of being left behind.

The sound of metal hitting wood was heard then, the sudden noise startling a flock of birds from the trees above Jaskier. The metal thudded over and over and over again, until it finally stopped. A shout of anguish filled the woods, ripping a hole in Jaskier's heart. The show of emotion so unheard of from a Witcher - from Geralt - scared Jaskier far more than any monster they had faced.

'I'm okay', he wanted to say. ‘I’m here, I’m alive’  
Jaskier wanted nothing more than to reach out to Geralt, to laugh and joke, to return to the moment by the stream.

Silence once again fell, broken only by Geralt's heavy breathing. Jaskier could only stare at the sky and wait for the other man to return to his side.  
Eventually Geralt got to his feet, moving slowly as if all his energy had been drained. He reached Jaskier and knelt down beside him.  
"I'm-" Geralt began, but his voice broke with emotion. He cleared his throat and shook his head. Then he leant down to lift Jaskier off of the forest floor.

Jaskier was grateful at least that Geralt wasn't planning on burying him here. Going somewhere else gave Jaskier a chance that someone would recognise the spell that had been placed on him. The downside to this, however, meant that he now had a perfect view of Geralt's face.  
He watched as a tear ran down the Witcher's cheek.  
This was a fate worse than death, Jaskier decided.  
No one should have to see the person they care for mourn them. Jaskier knew this was something he should never have seen, and he vowed that, when this was hopefully over, he would never mention it again.

///

Jaskier's only hope rested on the chance that Geralt would continue on their path and take him to the village they were on their way to before the encounter with the sorcerer. This seemed to be what Geralt was doing as the Witcher called Roach over from where she had been hovering anxiously nearby.  
Good horse, Jaskier thought.  
Geralt placed Jaskier gently onto the saddle, holding him still while he swung up into place behind him.

From this position, leant back against Geralt's chest, he could feel the other man’s heartbeat - a comfort he desperately needed. They made their way slowly towards the village, Jaskier trying hard to ignore the occasional shudder of Geralt's chest.  
There was no way he would forget this. The raw emotion Geralt displayed, all because of him.  
The situation was a terrible one, but at least Jaskier now knew how much he meant to Geralt ... had seen it with his own eyes.

The village gradually came into view, the sunset bathing the buildings in a warm orange light.  
They rode into the square, Roach's hooves echoing on the cobblestone. Jaskier could feel eyes on them and he wasn't surprised. Seeing a man riding into a village with a dead man on his horse was bound to attract some stares. Geralt dismounted outside the inn, lifting Jaskier down with him. The Witcher paused a frown coming over his face as he studied Jaskier closely.

There were murmurs from the villagers around them.  
"Sir, do you - do you need a healer?" A woman asked cautiously, glancing at Jaskier.  
Geralt nodded, surprising Jaskier greatly.  
Had Geralt realised that Jaskier was not truly dead?  
The woman led them to a nearby building, the curious villagers parting as Geralt followed.  
Once they entered the candle-lit room, Geralt immediately moved to place Jaskier down on the bed in the corner.

The healer, who had come out of the back room at their arrival, stopped abruptly.  
"This man appears to be...dead," she said slowly, confusion clear in her voice.  
"Appears to be," Geralt replied simply, causing hope to spring up in Jaskier.  
The healer took a step closer, leaning down to study Jaskier more carefully.  
"It seems you are right," she announced, stepping back and turning to her various concoctions and herbs that lined the shelves at the back of the room. "Tell me what happened,"

"A sorcerer hit him with a spell that sent him straight to the ground," Geralt said, taking a seat at Jaskier's bedside. "I-I thought him dead until we left the area. The further we got the more I could sense the aura of a spell,"  
"It appears he was struck by a spell of living death" she said, picking out a vile of light blue liquid. "Ah, this should do the trick,"  
She came to crouch by Jaskier's side and emptied the vile carefully into his mouth.  
As soon as the liquid touched his tongue, Jaskier felt life begin to return to his body.  
He coughed a little, his throat dry from disuse, and blinked up at Geralt.  
"Uh- hi," he croaked.  
The healer looked between the two men.  
"It'll take some time for him to feel like himself again," she said. "You're welcome to stay as long as you want."  
"I- thank you," Geralt managed.  
She nodded, and left the room.

Once the door clicked shut Geralt turned back to Jaskier.  
"Never do that again." He said, voice gruff.  
Jaskier blinked.  
"It's not like it was my fault," he spluttered and struggled to sit up.  
His arm wobbled and nearly gave out, causing panic to flash over Geralt's face.  
That expression was too close to what Jaskier had seen in the woods.  
Geralt reached out to help steady him, and sat back in his chair when Jaskier was safely upright.

There was a moment of silence between them and Jaskier couldn't take it anymore.  
To hell with not mentioning it.  
"I'm…sorry that you had to see ... that," Jaskier said quietly, looking down at his lap.  
He received no reply until a pair of strong arms wrapped around his shoulders enveloping him in a tight hug.  
Geralt let out a shaky sigh, his breath ruffling Jaskier's hair.  
This was uncharted territory.  
Jaskier raised his hands slowly and wrapped them around Geralt's back, linking his fingers together. They stayed like that for a while, the setting sun casting beautiful shadows on the walls around them.

As Jaskier's body slowly came back to him, he felt more alive than he ever did before.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this instead of writing my assignment today because I was truly overwhelmed by all the support and want to continue posting as much as possible!  
> The next one will probably not arrive until I’ve gotten my deadline out of the way.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for reading!  
> Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions for what you want to see next <3


End file.
